2015 1095 steel Schrade SCHF-37

R

RonB

Joined
Apr 25, 2009
Messages
16
Hello,
Although I have been a member since 2009, this is my 2nd post. I'm much more of a reader/researcher than a voice.
I am looking for a decent bushcraft/camp knife. I had pretty much narrowed it down to the BK7 or Esee 6 when I saw another BF members YT video on the new Schrade SCHF-37. I am well aware that you get what you pay for and yada yada...my two edc knives are a ZT 0300 and an Esee Izula.
However this is a knife I want to strip the finish from,use hard, abuse and it not let me down...keeping it pretty is not a concern, probably get used about 7 to 10 weekends a year.

The main reason I considering the Schrade is the steel (1095), and the price $34.99 at Knife-depot.com vs approx $84 for the BK7, and $130ish for the Esee.
Has anyone else used and have opinion on Schrades 1095 knives? I value the members YT video reviews and opinions but, am always open to other opinions. Does Anyone also have any experience with Schrades warranty service?

Thanks,
Ron
 
If price is the deciding factor, the Schrade would probably serve you well with no issues. That said, I've owned both the BK7 and the ESEE 6 and I'd say each is definitely worth the price. If you want a knife to strip, use hard, abuse it and not let you down the Becker and ESEE are perfect for that. I preferred the ESEE over the Becker but they are both rock solid and won't let you down. I'm also a fan of supporting US made knife companies so I'd personally never buy a Schrade, vintage ones excluded.
 
So is there a new version coming out with 1095? All I can find is the 8cr version which I would not recommend. Also the saw back thing doesn't look that great. It would eat up a baton.

The bk and esee 6 are tride and true. Go with one of them. I have a 6 and love it.
 
RonB said:
Yes it appears Schrade has a 1095 series out this year. The 1095 series has a 90 deg spine....no saw back.
Video review:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dw-xsjlBWeI

I understand the Esee and BK7 are great. just looking for opinions from anyone who has held this knife.

Thanks
Click to expand...

Well, in that case it might be a good knife. Especially without that saw back. It will have no track record though. BK and Esee or proven great brands. Schrade does not have the best track record, though as of late it looks like they are trying to turn it around.
 
I hadn't seen these knives before, thanks for the heads up. They're an interesting player in the market it seems.

That said, I'm not sold on them yet. They have enormous choils (not really my thing, but I understand some people like them), and on one of the other videos, I saw jimping on the underside of the handle, towards the back? I guess I can get the idea behind it, but it seems like it would cause some pretty intense hot spots/blisters with prolonged use. The handle scales also look kind of thin, but that's another personal preference. I also have no idea what the HT is like on schrade products, or their warranty. For my money, I'd be getting a Becker BK16, 10, or 12, but that's just me.

But if you're wanting something big, beefy, and cheap (that's not a mora and a machete, or a Condor) it looks like it might fit the bill. Although, based on the comments in the video, you wont be able to buy one of these until after SHOT show (which is in January IIRC). So you'll be waiting a bit to buy one.

And maybe its just me, but does anyone else find the reviewers knife skills ... um... scary for lack of a better term? I kept wanting to move his hands away from what he was cutting.
 
I heard of these for the first time recently in another thread. They look like they could have a lot of the potential.

As to the choil, the schf-38 doesn't have one, just 5.77" of blade on the same handle. I only wish it was a full height grind, might get one anyway in a few months.
 
I have no experience with that knife and just saw it for the first time. Looks OK to me.

I do have a Schrade-Walden Deerslayer from the '60's that has been a user all that time. It's still my goto hunter/skinner. The blade design and 1095 steel of that knife are awesome---it's like a large Sharpfinger. It is among my favorite blades of all of my knives, the steel being one of the main reasons.

I'm sure you know though, a lot of water has gone under that Schrade bridge since then. I'd say buy it if you like it. Hell, the others cost over twice as much. If you break it or don't like it then you can always buy one of the others.

EDIT: You might want to check out a used vintage Deerslayer as an alternative for your Schrade Jones. :)
 
ocnLogan said:
I hadn't seen these knives before, thanks for the heads up. They're an interesting player in the market it seems.


"But if you're wanting something big, beefy, and cheap (that's not a mora and a machete, or a Condor) it looks like it might fit the bill. Although, based on the comments in the video, you wont be able to buy one of these until after SHOT show (which is in January IIRC). So you'll be waiting a bit to buy one."

....That video is fairly fresh..but, Knife-depot.com has them for $34.99 now

Thanks for the replys folks!
Click to expand...
 
EChoil said:
I have no experience with that knife and just saw it for the first time. Looks OK to me.

I do have a Schrade-Walden Deerslayer from the '60's that has been a user all that time. It's still my goto hunter/skinner. The blade design and 1095 steel of that knife are awesome---it's like a large Sharpfinger. It is among my favorite blades of all of my knives, the steel being one of the main reasons.

I'm sure you know though, a lot of water has gone under that Schrade bridge since then. I'd say buy it if you like it. Hell, the others cost over twice as much. If you break it or don't like it then you can always buy one of the others.

EDIT: You might want to check out a used vintage Deerslayer as an alternative for your Schrade Jones. :)
Click to expand...

The older Schrades were pretty good. One of my first fixed blades is an older green handled USA made Old Timer.
 
Hmm... seems some misinformation has found its way into this thread. Schrade has had 1095 knives for about 4 years now. The easiest way to prove this is a couple of links to other reviews, if only for the sake of time dating the actual review of different men with a Schrade carbon steel knife in their hand:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_B0SRsP_ag&list=WL&index=1

Better yet, search Bladeforums itself and look for Mistwalker's reviews of that same knife. He is a paid consultant to the knife industry, has done countless reviews of different knives and posted many of them here, and collaborates with different high profile makers to develop knife designs.

His reviews are great. He loved the SCHF9 (a cousin - not the same knife - to the knife you referenced) and its design, execution and blade steel, and his review is posted somewhere in the archives here. You can see him using that knife and its carbon steel here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yRQlKjbws7c

His written reviews are extensive, detailed and practical. Note this review of a carbon blade Schrade is FOUR years old. If he likes the Schrade blades, you probably will, too. FWIW, reviews I have read on other venues have all been positive.

Just another point of view...

Robert
 
I bought a SCHF1 and it is such a great knife for the money and handles a beating so well that I bought the smaller version SCHF2.

I don't know what they changed or if it's a poor heat treat or different steel still listed as 1095 but the SCHF2 won't hold an edge on 3/4's of the blade and won't take an edge on the last 1/4 by the tip- it's total garbage.

It might be a rarity or a one time experience but so could the positive attributes of the first one I bought.

They're not expensive if you want to risk it and if you get a good one I'm sure that you'll be very happy with it as I am my first Schrade but if price isn't a factor I'd suggest going with another ESEE or a Becker, I've had multiples of both and have never been disappointed-and if for some crazy reason you get the unheard of lemon they both have great warranty service.

I wish you well no matter which you pick and have fun modifying it.
 
I just got one. The jimping is rough on the hands because of the sharp edges, not the jimping itself.

The handle is nice and comfortable otherwise. Some people have gotten bent blades because of bad heat treat. Preparedmind101 has also said so on his Youtube Channel.

Mine wasn't bent but the grind was totally uneven.

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Gonna keep it regardless. If you get a perfect one, you lucked out. If not, you get what you pay for. You probably won't find these problems with an ESEE.
 
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Fit and finish issues don't surprise me anymore, budget knife or not, so given that recent Schrade knives have gotten more positive reviews than negative in terms of build quality, the addition of more models with good steel seems like an open invitation for people to potentially get a great workhorse of a knife for minimal investment. I mean, a few years ago (and to this day) the Cold Steel GI Tanto continues to earn largely excellent reviews and be highly recommended to people wanting a big, beefy knife on a budget. In terms of design and features, the new Schrades offer quite a few benefits over the CS. The most persistent "con" I continue to read in Schrade reviews is that the brand name is just that, a name, and is detached from the reputation of years gone by. I'm personally of the opinion that if the original Schrade company still existed, it would be producing knives in China and Taiwan, no different from the current owner, Taylor Brands.

So, if you absolutely refuse to own a knife made in China or Taiwan, skip the Schrade. If you refuse to own a knife that isn't made by the "original" company, skip the Schrade. If you want to own a knife built from a proven steel, whose preceding models get strong reviews, take a chance and buy the Schrade. Sometime in the coming year, I intend to.
 
I wouldn't worry too much about off grinds on a hard use production knife, especially in this price range.
 
midnight flyer said:
Hmm... seems some misinformation has found its way into this thread. Schrade has had 1095 knives for about 4 years now. The easiest way to prove this is a couple of links to other reviews, if only for the sake of time dating the actual review of different men with a Schrade carbon steel knife in their hand:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_B0SRsP_ag&list=WL&index=1

Better yet, search Bladeforums itself and look for Mistwalker's reviews of that same knife. He is a paid consultant to the knife industry, has done countless reviews of different knives and posted many of them here, and collaborates with different high profile makers to develop knife designs.

His reviews are great. He loved the SCHF9 (a cousin - not the same knife - to the knife you referenced) and its design, execution and blade steel, and his review is posted somewhere in the archives here. You can see him using that knife and its carbon steel here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yRQlKjbws7c

His written reviews are extensive, detailed and practical. Note this review of a carbon blade Schrade is FOUR years old. If he likes the Schrade blades, you probably will, too. FWIW, reviews I have read on other venues have all been positive.

Just another point of view...

Robert
Click to expand...

Thanks for the kind words Robert


I believe it would be pretty accurate to say that Schrade has been using 1095 steel in production again since late 2009. I received the prototype of the SCHF9 in July of 2009, and them received the first samples of the production model in October that same year.

I actually posted a thread about receiving the production models here in the W&SS section that day.

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/684806-Finally-Got-The-Production-Model

It was the first time they had made a knife from 1095 in some time, and it was my insistence on that steel, and that it be made in Taiwan rather than in China, that cost me the three other designs I was originally asked to do until a later date when they had seen how well the knife did.

Apparently it has done fairly well because I was asked to do more designs for them. This year the SCHF42 is in production. With a 5 inch blade it is a bit smaller than the SCHF9. It is also 1095 hi carbon steel and made in Taiwan. But I did not like the flex of the Kraton handle on the 9, so I requested a more solid handle material for the 42 and it comes with grivory handle scales.

DSC_0827.jpg




I had wanted micarta handle scales, but that is apparently not an option in Taiwan yet. So there is a gentleman who is making aftermarket micarta scales for it now.

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The SCHF42D, the straight blade version is also coming out soon.

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The same micarta scales fit it as well. I wish micarta were available from the factory, but do like the idea of creating a secondary industry for a local craftsman.

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Both models come with leather sheaths. This was something I really liked about the older Schrades I used to carry. I was glad they were willing to do that with these.

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Though a number of kydex makers are also making sheaths for them

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There is a smaller knife in this series that is currently going into production. It will also be Taiwan made and 1095 steel. So it seems I started a trend with Schrade since there are also four or five other Schrade models this year that are made of 10995 hi-carbon steel.


...
 
Cool, nice post Mist.

I recommend an Schf38 to a buddy.

He asked me to sharpen it.

It was horrendous.

It didn't want to take an edge.

Bad heat treatment.

There is a considerable difference compared to the BK-2 1095
Completely worth the extra cash.

Looks like the Griffen design schrade is made in Taiwan which means better QC.
 
DeadboxHero said:
Cool, nice post Mist.

I recommend an Schf38 to a buddy.

He asked me to sharpen it.

It was horrendous.

It didn't want to take an edge.

Bad heat treatment.

There is a considerable difference compared to the BK-2 1095
Completely worth the extra cash.

Looks like the Griffen design schrade is made in Taiwan which means better QC.
Click to expand...

The one difference I have noted is that my designs are all made in Taiwan. I have an agreement with them on that. Their other 1095 models as far as I know were done in China. The heat treat capability differences between those two places are greater than some people realize. It's one of the reasons I am so adamant about my designs being produced in Taiwan, since the US is not an option with Taylor...though I hope to work on that more.

Out of the roughly 37,000 SCHF9s produced I have only heard of a handful of failures, and with mass production that sort of thing is bound to happen. I have seen that out of the 764 reviews of the knife on Amazon 695 are positive. That's not bad.
 
Yeah that Schf38 was bad. My schf26 was out performing it with 8cr13mov.

You know, Taiwan is quite under appreciated.

They make some awesome Spydercos. Great fit and finish.

Seems like China should stick with 8cr13mov or 65mn

Maybe increasing the price gets a heat treatment?
 
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